If there was one food item I was completely OBSESSED with as a kid, besides frosted circus animal cookies (which I have a bag of in my pantry right this very moment because my sister gave them to me for Easter), it would most definitely be dino nuggets. Chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs. What kid doesn’t like that? Kids who aren’t fully living life, that’s who. Dino nuggets are what dreams are made of. Dino nuggets are the answer to all of your problems. These dino nuggets from my kid days weren’t anything special by any means, let me tell you. I’d eat them all the time whenever my mom would take me to Sizzler as a treat. P.S. I loved Sizzler. They always had dino nuggets back then, so that definitely made them the coolest restaurant in my book. That’s the place I’d pick whenever a special occasion came up. Birthday dinner? Sizzler. Graduation dinner? Sizzler. Last Monday? Sizzler. I’m kidding! But maybe I’m not, you’ll never know. Whenever we weren’t eating at Sizzler, I’d beg my mamma to buy a box from the freezer section and I’d eat them all week long with ketchup. I can’t even handle it right now. Dino nuggets and ketchup were the bomb dot com. I’ll forever hold a special place in my heart for dino nuggets. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them. With that being said, I just had to make them at home…from scratch…so here we are.

I think it’s important to mention that, if you’re not feeling the whole dinosaur shaped nugget vibe, then you can definitely just make regular ol’ round chicken nuggets instead. I won’t get angry or tell you that you’re doing it all wrong. You can never go wrong with chicken nuggets. Any chicken nugget is a good chicken nugget. These are a great snack to have on hand for throughout the week or they make for a great quick and simple lunch or dinner. Fry them up and keep them in the fridge for whenever you’re feeling hungry. They’re great cold, but I’m partially biased to cold fried chicken so maybe I’m not the best judge of character on this matter. Either way, make them this week so you can feel like a kid. They really are the best tasting chicken nuggets you’ll ever eat.

Pesto is that fancy friend that you wish you could invite to every single party you throw just to class things up a bit. It makes you look like you’re a pro in the kitchen and like you know what you’re doing, because when people hear pesto they’re all like, “Ooooooh, aaaaaawww! Pesto?!?!?!” Yeah, just like that. It’s packed with so much flavor and can be used a million different ways. Okay, so I might be exaggerating a bit…it can be used a hundred different ways. Pesto is versatile. It lends itself to many dishes. You can use it for sandwiches or use it as a marinade for meats and poultry or as a dressing for pasta or green salads or eat it by the spoonful all by itself. I’m not one to judge. P.S. FYI BTW it’s also super delicious and irresistible as a dipping sauce for soft fresh homemade bread, right out of the oven, like focaccia. If you don’t have the time to make your own freshly baked bread (I’ll be judging you slightly this time) then you can definitely use store bought bread. Pick up a loaf at the grocery store and use it for all of your pesto dipping needs. You’ll love it. I promise. Just don’t get too full on bread and pesto because you’ll need to save room for this dish in particular.

There was a time when I was younger when I’d make pesto all of the time. Literally at least once a week. My family really likes pesto and every time I asked them, “What do you guys want for dinner tonight? What should I make?” They’d always say pesto pasta with such enthusiasm that I’d give in and make it for them because why not? Also, I’m a sucker for my mom and sisters. They can literally get me to do anything, but I digress. I made pesto for dinner and lunch so often that the recipe was engraved in my mind. I was seeing it in my sleep. Making it with my eyes closed. Because of this, I got bored of it rather quickly, as you can imagine. I learned a very valuable lesson; even though it’s fancy and even though it’s tasty and delicious, I just couldn’t keep making it the same way over and over again. Now as an adult, I still love pesto but I’m definitely on the look out for new and exciting pesto recipes because the same simple, yet delicious, pesto recipes just aren’t fitting the bill anymore.. The broccoli in this recipe is just about the right amount of “out there” but still delicious and simple enough to make it all the time.

I came across a recipe online with a chunkier version of this broccoli pesto and I figured I definitely had to try it on my own with a few changes. It was just what I needed because it felt like something new and exciting. Fancy but not stuck up. So if you’re part of the pesto fan club, well you should join my family, but also you should try this pasta dish because it’ll knock your socks off. It’s that weeknight dinner you didn’t realize you needed. Now that you have it, watch out…you’re ready to conquer the world. Just remember who helped you get there.

The only thing better than crispy french fries is french fries topped with all of the things. You already know about my fascination and love for carne asada fries. Fries topped with cheese, grilled steak guacamole, tomato, sour cream and salsa verde. It’s a big thing here in Southern California, so if you haven’t tried them for yourself yet, I highly recommend it. If you have and you’ve fallen in love, just like I have, then I suggest you join me on my next french fry adventure. I’m now bringing you Mediterranean Gyro Fries. It’s all the things we love in gyros and Greek salad, piled on top of homemade crispy french fries. We can feel good about it because most of the ingredients are healthy. Most. I mean sure, there are fried potatoes at the base of this recipe and sure garlic aioli and feta cheese probably aren’t the healthiest BUT everything else is good for you and those definitely outweigh the irresistible ingredients. In my humble opinion.

It’s Friday, we should be living life and not be worrying about anything for the next two days. We only live once. The weekend is for letting loose and having fun, but still being adults and making responsible decision. (That’s just in case my mamma is reading this, wink wink). I don’t know about you, but making and eating french fries all day long most definitely counts as having fun. I have to admit, homemade fries can be a little more work than we want to be doing on the weekend, but whenever crispy potatoes are the end result of anything, it instantly becomes worth all of the effort. There is no greater payoff. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth necessarily. I’d much rather skip dessert if it meant having a second helping of something savory, preferably something savory and deep fried. Cakes and cookies can come and go and I won’t budge, but as soon as fries (or potatoes in general) and cheese and bread come into the picture, I lose all self control. It’s a real problem. Send help.

Lucky for us, it’s the weekend and I’m here to make sure we all lose our self control together. I’ve decided that my sole purpose in life is to tempt you with guilty food. I’ve been practicing my “Oooh ahhh, look at this. You know you want it. Come on, everyone else is eating it,” lines to throw at you. It helps to be prepared. It’s also a lot more fun when you have someone else being gluttonous alongside you, isn’t it? Gorging on a big pile of fries all by yourself is just sad, although not the worst thing that can happen I must admit. I’m sure there are worse punishments in life. This recipe is definitely worth sharing, so grab your friends, your family, your pets and eat like the kings and queens you are.

Am I the only one that enjoys eating soup during the hottest days of the year? I don’t know if I enjoy it so much as I’m just used to eating steaming bowls of broth and veggies on super hot days. It brings me back to my childhood where my mother would decide that cooking soup all day long was only logical when the temperature rose to a high number. Her logic behind it would always be the same, “the heat from the soup counteracts the heat from outside and hence, it cools you down.” Does this make sense? It makes perfect sense. I remember playing outside and staring up at the windows in the house and it would be foggy and steamy from the heat of the stove and I’d be miserable and a little excited (but don’t tell my mamma) because I knew that soup was in store for us. This also meant that we’d be eating it for a few days because whenever my mamma made soup, she made enough to feed the entire neighborhood. ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD. She would have it cooking away on the stove in the biggest pot I’d ever seen, and would stir it with a bowl. Not a spoon, but a bowl. Standing on a chair because she wouldn’t be able to reach the top of the pot from the floor. If that’s not dedication, then I don’t know what is.

Not much has changed since then, except we’re all a little older now, but my mom is still making too much soup and I still get the craving for a giant bowl whenever it begins to warm up. Two of my favorite soups are meatball and chicken tortilla (neither of which I grew up eating, go figure), so I thought the smartest thing to do is to combine them both into one mega soup. It was the only solution. That way, I can eat both of my favorites at the same time, without having to make them both separately, which I’m not opposed to doing by the way. Best idea, or extra best idea? Either way we all should be having soup this summer because it’s the way to go. My mamma says so, and after all, mammas know best. Don’t try to fight it, just accept it.

I will always reserve a special place in my heart for these Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches. Partly because breaded and fried chicken thighs are involved, I’ve learned never to question fried chicken, but also because it was the first thing Julian ever cooked for me, on our third date. This was the only dish he knew how to cook at the time, which I believe he actually called his mom right before and asked her how to make it. You gotta give the man points for trying. And even though it looked like a tornado hit the kitchen, and I was fairly certain the night would end with us at the emergency room waiting for Julian to get stitches (thankfully it didn’t), it’s still one of my all time favorite sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. No joke. And that’s saying something because I love me a good sandwich every now and then, and as we all know there are so many options to choose from, so it’s kind of hard to pick a favorite. But how can you pass up breaded chicken topped with marinara and cheese and then sandwiched together between two pieces of crusty garlic-rubbed bread?! You can’t, you just can’t, and even if you did, I’d have serious doubts about our friendship. Then again, I would be able to eat your sandwich…so maybe I should rethink this.

To this day, whenever it’s Julian’s turn to cook dinner, I’ll either get these sandwiches or a grilled steak with brussels sprouts and potatoes. I’m not complaining though because sometimes it’s too much of a hassle for me to fire up the grill, stand in front of hot burning charcoal all night with smoke blowing in my face. Thankfully the man can grill like no one’s business, and actually enjoys doing it. He has since learned how to cook a few more dishes, through the years, like tacos and homemade tortilla chips with guacamole or grilled salmon with rice and roasted asparagus. They’ve been added to the rotation, but honestly even if this sandwich continued to be the only thing he ever cooked for me, I’d be super happy because it’s a masterpiece of a dish. But it’s best not to tell Julian this. We don’t want it getting to his head.

Instead of keeping this recipe all to myself, though, like some selfish animal, I’ve decided I needed to spread the word. I told myself, “Self, everyone needs to try this sandwich. You’d be doing the world a disservice if you didn’t share it.” That happened, but also I figured we could all use a few more quick and easy recipes that can be whipped up in no time. Especially during those week days when we’re all exhausted from work and just want to get home as quickly as possible, make dinner and catch up on those shows we’ve let pile up. Let’s get with the program and make these happen as soon as possible.

Do you ever sometimes get tired of eating pancakes and eggs for breakfast and brunch, week after week? Don’t get me wrong, I love me some flapjacks and eggs but sometimes I just need something a bit more tasty and a lot more exciting. Who can eat the same thing over and over again without ever getting bored of it? Unless it’s French fries we’re talking about, then that’s another story. There’s no need to be eating pancakes every single morning of your life. Because of this yearning, I’m always on the look out for new and interesting breakfast dishes. The perfect recipe to wake us up and get us prepared to tackle the day. It’s like everyone always says, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so we should really take our time making dishes we can be passionate about. Don’t you agree?

I’ll never say no to a tostada. Plain and simple, I end up eating more tostadas in a month than I do anything else. Tostada Tuesdays are so much better than Taco Tuesdays, if you ask me. And if you haven’t tried it for yourself then you’re missing out and it sounds like a personal problem. You need to remedy that situation right away. Lucky for you I just happen to have these breakfast tostadas for your viewing/making/eating pleasure. The one component that really takes this dish further is the homemade chicken chorizo. I love chorizo but sometimes it feels super heavy to me, what with all of the spices and fat, so I happen to really love this homemade chicken chorizo as an alternative. Add some scrambled eggs (or cooked white rice) to the chorizo and just like that, you have a delicious breakfast or brunch dish that’ll impress just about anyone, including yourself. I’m here to tell you that making homemade Mexican chorizo is actually very easy to whip up. Sure, there are a lot of spices that go into the meat to give it that traditional chorizo flavor, but it’s totally worth it. It’s health(ier) and the best part is that you can store the uncooked chorizo in an airtight container in the fridge and cook it as you need it. You’ll have chicken chorizo tostadas, tacos, burritos, and breakfast sandwiches all the time.

Grinding up a big batch of it will be the best decision you’ll make all week. Making spicy waffles and layering them with all sorts of taco toppings will be the next best series of decisions in your life. Don’t fight it, just dust off that waffle iron and get to cooking some breakfast for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with eating these tostadas all alone. In fact, it’s probably for the better since you won’t have to share. It’ll be our secret, just between the two of us. The only thing that should be on your mind right now is how many tostadas you’ll be eating. It’s great to have an end goal to get you going.